2 posts tagged “people”

I wonder a lot about things, and I analyze things and pick them to pieces in my head, but sometimes I can't but wonder. We have this one prisoner over here in Thousandlakez who I've wondered a lot about, Juha Valjakkala, or, Nikita Joakim Fouganthine, which would be the name he goes by these days. He's a triple murderer and has been serving a life sentence since the late 1980s. Over here, a life sentence is usually about 12-14 year, after which the president grants pardon and the inmate is released. Juha Valjakkala has been doing a lot of time, by finnish standards.

He's also been doing a lot of running away.

We have this newly implemented system where inmates get the possibility to first spend some time in a work-camp prior to their release. Then they change to what is called "open prison". Since we are Nokialand, open prison means the inmate carries a cell-phone with him all the time. He is requiered to either work, study or spend time in rehabilitation to be able to sustain his status in the open prison. He needs to keep the cell-phone with him at all times and he is tracked down through it. Surprise calls, wisits and drug/alcohol tests are part of the program. If all this goes well then the inmate can proceed to the last part: freedom. Breaking any of the rules at the work-camp or in open prison makes the inmate lose his status and he is back in the slammer.

BUT.

His release-date is not pushed back.

So here's the catch we've been working up to. Juha Valjakkala tried to appeal to the president to get out of prison countless times and was denied every time. He ran away from prison 5-7 times and was always caught and brought back to prison. And during the last few years he finally got to live and work at a camp.

And he ran away.

From a facility where the prisoner has his own room and carries the keys to this room. Where family is allowed to meet and greet him and there are no fences. Sounds pretty good, huh?

But no. He made a run for the fence border. And was once again caught. What's the point of escaping an open facility?

Anyhoo.

Finally, working his way up the hierarchy once more, he landed a spot in open prison prior to his release date, which is due this summer if I remember correctly.

And 2 days ago the douchebag ran away again. This time "running away" means left his cellphone in his apartment (which was nowhere near a prison) and left.

And since he's the king of bad escapes, all of Thousandlakez knows what he looks like by heart. His mugshot has been on tv a lot of times during all of his sucky escapes.

So. A day later, yesterday, he is once again caught. By the border. How Stupid does one have to be to run away from a cellphone?! Dude, you're about as free as you can be, what the hell are you running from now?!

People are odd.

Yesterday I called the priest to know what paperwork we need to get done.

"Okay so the birth-certificate is needed now, and the paper about no obstacles in the way of the marriage a couple of months before?"

"Yes, it's valid for 4 months, so there's no point in applying for it now. But the marriage-course has already started, you've missed 2 sessions already!"

"The marriage-what, now?"

"The marriage-course. It would be especially important for the groom since he is lutheran"

I had no idea we had to complete a course to learn how to stand in front of a crowd and say "I do". And because I've always thought that marriage doesn't really change the relationship that much (apparently, kids on the other hand...) it had never occurred to me that there might be a course in all this. But Fr. Lewandowski is polish (the HC-catholics) and I didn't want to blurt out something blasphemous, so guess where we're headed next tuesday?

Related to marriage-issues, I have grown tired of the "You don't have a dress yet?! But you must at least have some sketches!"-questions, and have created a handy answer: Don't worry, I promise we won't come naked. And when this grows old, I am going to force Joni draw some sketches of the ugliest, most pink, feathered, frilly, puffy dress he can imagine and start dragging them along. Another thing I didn't know by the way, was that people actually have sketches of what they wish their dress would look a little something like. But then again, I am a bad bride:

"So you have a dress yet? What's it gonna be like?"

"No, but I think we'll start looking for one sometime soon. My mom is really excited about that part, I think."

"Well it's a good thing someone is..."